Govt advised to harmonise laws on proper land use, natural resource management
What you need to know:
- Conservation stakeholders have spoken about conflicting laws, saying they cause difficulties in natural resource management and proper land use
Dar es Salaam. The government has been asked to harmonise contradicting laws to reduce challenges in natural resources management and proper land use.
That was said by lands and conservation stakeholders on Friday, February 22, 2019 during a breakfast meeting organised by Policy Forum.
The event was dubbed ‘Challenges of Managing Natural Resources with Conflicting Pieces of Legislation: The Case of Wildlife Conservation Act No. 5 of 2009’.
The legal advisor and programme coordinator with Ujamaa Community Resource Team, Mr Edward Lekaita, in his paper, named contradicting laws as the Wildlife Conservation Act, 1974, the Wildlife Policy of 1998 as revised in 2007, the Wildlife Conservation Act, No. 5 of 2009, the Village Land Act No. 5 of 1994, the Land Act No 4 of 1999, the Forest Act, 2002 and the Environment Management Act, 2010.
Others are the Grazing Land and Animal Feed Resources Act, 2010, the Mining Act, 2010, the Water Resource Management Act, 2009, the Wildlife Migratory routes and Buffer zones and Corridors Regulations, 2018, the Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Regulations 2012 vs the WMA regulations 2018 and the Natural Wealth and Resources Act of 2017.
According to him, while the Water Resource Management Act, 2009 demands that economic activities should be carried 200 metres from the water sources, the Environment Management Act, 2010 wants the same to be executed 60 metres from the source.
"The two could be harmonised to avoid contradiction, destruction and pollution of water sources.”
He said while the Wildlife Act prohibits mining in reserved lands, the mining legislation allows the responsible minister to issue permits and licences in such areas in Mainland Tanzania.
Babati Rural MP Jitu Soni suggested that new policies, laws and regulations be executed only after the old ones are amended to reduce contradictions.
Chambani MP Yussuf Salim Hassan said the lack of land use plan was a major challenge in the implementation of mega projects.
He cited the Stiegler’s Gorge Hydro power project, saying it was being executed at the heart of Selous Game Reserve. "The implementation is dangerous to wildlife and the country’s tourism.
We could stick to strengthening natural gas power generation projects,” he said.
